Liquid meter



Patented Jan. 4, 1944 UNITED STATES PATEN T OFFICE LIQUID METER Application April 30, 1943, Serial No. 485,121

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in liquid meters of the type having a cylinder, and a piston arranged to be reciprocated therein by the pressure of the liquid.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a liquid meter of this type of improved construction, and which will be more accurate and reliable in its operation than meters of this type heretofore made. A further object of this invention is to provide a meter of this kind in which movement of the piston in the cylinder is more accurately controlled to eliminate inaccuracies in the measurement of the liquid. Other objects and advantages of this invention Will appear from the following description and claim.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal central sectional elevation of a water meter embodying this invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central sectional elevation of a meter f somewhat modified construction.

Fig. 3 is a similar view of another modiiied form of my invention.

Figs. 4 and 5 are transverse sectional elevations taken respectively on lines 4L4, Fig. 1 and 5-5, Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional plan view on line 5-6, Fig. 4.

IB represents the usual measuring cylinder of the meter, the ends of which are closed by heads II and I2, tightly secured to the ends of the cylinder in any suitable or usual manner. The cylinder I0 is provided in the side thereofwith a discharge opening I4 which is preferably arranged approximately centrally between/ the heads II and I2. The liquid to be measured enters the cylinder through an inlet opening or connection I5 which is preferably centrally dis.- posed in one of the heads, and which may be connected with a pipe I6 carrying the liquid to the meter. I I8 is an induction pipe which forms substantially a continuation of the rinlet opening, and which preferably extends axially into the cylinder I0 and terminates substantially midway between the two heads of the cylinder, where it is provided with discharge openings or passages i9, preferably arranged in the side of the pipe.

The piston of the meter may be formed in any suitable manner, and in the construction illustrated. includes two or more disks or heads 2B and 2I which are spaced apart by a plurality of rigid spacing members, one of which may be in form of a rod 22 and another of which may be in the form of a hollow body Aor tube 24, both the r'od and the tube being rigidly secured at their ends to the diks or heads 20 and 2I of the piston, thus' forming a hollow piston. The disks are provided at their priphries with suitable packing to cooperate with the inner surface of the Cylinder I0 to provide a substantially liquid-tight seal between eaol'l diskv and the cylinder.

The piston head or disk 2i] is provided with a hub 25 which extends into the hollow piston and fits slidably about the outer surface of the induction pipe I8, the hub being provided with one or more' ports 2l through which liquid may flow' from the exterior of the piston into the interior thereof, and from the space between the two disks 20 and 2| to the discharge opening M. The other disk or piston head 2I is also provided with a hub 28 of slightly different form and having ports 29 through which communication is established from the interior of the piston to the space between the piston head 2| and the cylinder head I2. The piston disks or heads 20 and 2l are arranged at such a distance from each other that in any position which the piston may assume in the cyl-inder, the piston disks will prevent communication of either end of the cylinder with the discharge opening I4 except through ports 21 and 29.

The hollow piston is provided with a piston rod 30 which may be secured to the hub 28 and which may pass through an opening 3| in the cylinder head I2. The rod- 30 connects the piston with any suitablev registering mechanisms (not shown) whereby the reciprocations of the piston may be counted to determine the quantity of liquid which has passed through the meter.

Within the hollow piston is arranged a hollow valve 33, the end portions of which are slidable on the hubs 25 and 28. The ends of this hollow valve are' preferably provided with beveled faces adapted to lit on correspondingly beveled seats 35 and t6 formed on t-he hubs 25 and 28. The valve 33 is of such length that when the ports or passages 29 of the hub 28 establish communication between the interior of the valve and the left end of the cylinder, as shown in Fig. 1, the ports El in the other hub 25 are fully opened to establish communication between the interior of the piston and the right end of the cylinder", so that liquid in this end of the cylinder will be discharged through the hollow valve to the discharge opening Ill. When the valve 33 is in its other position, the ports 2'! will communicate with the interior of the valve, while the ports 29 will communicate with the interior of the hollow piston so that liquid at the left side of the cylinder' Fig. i can be discharged through the ports 29 and the interior of the piston to the discharge opening I4.

Any suitable means may be provided for moving the hollow valve 33 into one or another of its positions, and in the construction shown, the valve 33 is provided with an outwardly projecting bead or rib 4l! in the middle portion thereof, and which may, if desired, be of annular form extending completely around the valve 33, which cooperates with the valve operating mechanism. This mechanism includes a valve rod 4I extending through holes in the two piston heads 20 and 2l so as to be slidable in the direction of its length, and the ends of this rod may be provided with suitable enlargements or disks 42, which may engage with parts of the cylinder tomove the rod lengthwise of the piston. Preferably springs 43 are provided on theheads I I and l2 of the cylinder in positions to engage with the enlargements or disks 42 of the slide rod 4I and these springs may be secured in the cylinder heads in any suitable or desired manner, for example, by welding or by means of screws 44 engaging suitable nuts or devices to which the adjacent ends of the springs 43 are secured. y

The slidable rod 4I is provided near the middle portion thereof with two shoulders or lugs 46 which are spaced apart suiliciently to receive between them the lower slotted or bifurcated end of a lever 4l. This lever has a pivot 48 extending through a slot 49 formed in the rod 22 which connects the two disks or heads 20 and 2| of the hollow piston. The other end of the lever is provided with a spring 50 which may, for example, be of substantially loop-shaped form, the ends of which are riveted or otherwise secured to the lever 4l and this spring is provided with a. depression or bent portion I formed to engage and rit about the rib 4u.

At substantially the diametrically opposite portion of the valve 33, a similar spring 54 is provided which is suitably secured to an arm 55 pivoted at 55 on a part of the piston, for example, on a lug or extension formed on the tube 24, the spring 54 also having a depression or bent portion which engages the rib 40.

l'n the operation of the meter described, the water enters the measuringcylinder through the inlet opening I5, as indicated by the arrow, and

passes'through the opening IS of the induction Y J pipe into the interior of the hollow valve 33. When the same is in position shown in Fig. 1, the liquid to be measured passes through the ports 28 into the space between the cylinder head I2 and the piston head 2l. The pressure of the liquid forces the piston to the right in Fig. 1 and the water in the space between the cylinder head Il and piston head passes through the ports or passages 2l and through the hollow piston to the discharge passage i4. When the piston approaches the cylinder head II, the spring 43 secured thereto will engage the disk or enlargement 42 of the slide rod 4l, and as the spring gradually becomes compressed, it moves the slide rod 4I and the lower end of the lever 41 to the left, so that the pivot 43 will move to the left in the slot 4S. The lever 4l will, consequently, attain a substantially vertical position and the spring 5l) will become-compressed. A further movement of the piston to the right and the resulting reaction of the springs 43 and 5l) will then cause the lever lll to turn rapidly on its pivot, thereby moving the valve 33 to the right and bringing it against the seat When in this position, the hollow valve is connected with the passages 2T of the hub 25 to the space between the cylinder head Il and the piston head 2i), thus reversing the movement of the piston. When the Valve is in this position, the opposite side of the cylinder is connected through the passages 29 with the interior of the hollow piston and with the discharge passage I4.

The lost motion of the pivot 48 in the slot 49 enables the spring engaging the end of the slidable rod 4l and the spring 50 to become compressed before thc valve begins to move to the other end of its stroke, so that when the valve begins to move from one position to the other, the reaction of the compressed springs will insure a complete and rapid movement of the valve from one position to the other, and will prevent the valve from stopping in any intermediate position in which it might cover both ports 21 and rihe slot 49, furthermore, enables the lever il to assume a position of considerable inclination when the valve is at rest, thereby better holding the valve against longitudinal movement out of either of its two positions. The other spring all supplements the action of the spring 5D and counteracts the pressure exerted by the spring 55 on the valve, thus avoiding any tendency of the valve to bind on or press heavily against the hubs 25 and 2&3. t will, of course, be understood that the action of reversing the valve is the same at each end of the stroke of the piston.

I also provide means for preventing the piston from turning about its axis, so that the slidable rod 4l will at all times remain in proper alinement with the springs 43. Any suitable means may be provided for this purpose, and in the construction illustrated by way of example, I have provided these means on a discharge connection for the liquid which passes out of the discharge opening Ul. This liquid discharge connection preferably includes a body portion or flange Si) adapted to be removably secured in any suitable manner to the outer surface of the cylinder I@ about the discharge opening I4 therein, for example, by means of bolts or screws 6 I This fitting is provided with a tubular boss or extension B2 internally threaded to receive a discharge pipe G3 leading from the meter. The body portion lill, see particularly Figs. 4 and 6, is provided with downwardly projecting pins or guide members E3 which extend to` opposite sides of the tubular member 24 andthus hold the piston against turning about its axis relatively to the cylinder. 'I

The construction described is also desirable, for the reason that if it becomes necessary to remove the piston from the cylinder for inspection or repair of the meter, the discharge tting having the posts or pins 933 arranged thereon can be removed from the cylinder so as not to interfere with the removal or replacement of the piston in the cylinder. In order to permit the posts or guide members b3 to extend into the cylinder` the discharge opening I4 'thereof may be made of elongated or substantially elliptical form, as shown in broken lines in Fig. 6. v

In order to compensate for or counterbalance the eccentric pressure of the springs 43 on the piston when pressing against the rod 44, I preferably provide additional springs 65 on the cylinder heads I I and l 2 which are arranged substantially diametrically opposite to the springs 43 and which engage the piston heads or disks 20 and 2I. By means of these counterbalancing springs 65, the tendency of the springs 43 to move the axis of the piston out of coincidence with the axis of the cylinder is overcome.

The modied construction shown in Fig. 2 is identical with that shown in Fig. 1, except that the means for actuating the valve are different, and the liquid to be measured enters the opening I4 in the cylinder side and leaves the meter through the tube I8 and pipe I6. Similar parts in Figs. 1 and 2 are, consequently, designated by the same reference characters.

In Fig. 2, 'I0 represents the hollow valve which differs from the valve 33 only in that the valve 'IB is provided at opposite ends thereof with valve shifting rods or posts 'II which extend through apertures in the piston heads 20 and 2 I, into positions to engage springs '12, suitably mounted on the cylinder heads I I and l2. Each oppositely extending pair of rods 'II extending from opposite sides of the piston form in effect a single rod extending through the opposite ends of the piston, as does the rod 4I in Fig. 1. In order to provide this valve with a snap action o-r rapid movement from one of its positions to the other and to hold the valve yieldingly at the ends of its stroke, two or more springs 'I4 secured to arms 'I5 pivoted respectively at 'i6 on a rod 'I'I connect the two piton heads or disks 2l] and 2|, and at 'IB on the tube 24. In the operation of this device, as the piston moves to the left in Fig. 2, the rods 'Il will compress the springs 'I2 until the pressure is sufiicient to overcome the pressure exerted in the opposite direction by the springs 14, and when this pressure is overcome, the valve ID will move rapidly to the right under the combined action of the springs 'I2 and 74. It will be noted that I have provided a pair of valve shifting rods or posts 'II which are positioned diametrically opposite to each o'ther to avoid exerting any eccentric pressure on the piston or on the valve 1B. In this construction, the liquid takes the course indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2, so that the operation of this meter will be obvious fro-m the inspection of this figure.

Instead of actuating and holding the valve by means of the springs I), 54 and I4 shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a weight may be used as indicated in Figs. 3 and 5. In the meter shown in these figures, many of the parts are identical with those shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and are, consequently, designated by similar reference characters. The hollow valve 80 in this case is shifted by means of a bifurcated lever 8i, pivoted at 82 on a connecting or tie rod 83 which connects the two heads of the piston, and the upper ends 84 extend to opposite sides of the valve 8i) and are made of considerable weight. These weighted portions of the lever are provided on the inner faces with two spaced projections 85 and 86 which may alternately engage with the outwardly extending bead or collar 8'! of the valve 80. The lower end of the lever 8| is also bifurcated and extends between two shoulders or lugs 89 formed on a slide rod 9D which may be identical in construction with the slide rod 4I described in connection with Fig. I. The ends of this rod engage the springs 43 on the cylinder heads II and I2.

In shifting the valve shown in Figs. 3 and 5, when a spring 43 engages the slidable rod 90, this ro-d will tend to cause the lever 8| to assume a vertical position. During at least a part of this 5 movement, both the pins or projections 85 and 83 will be out of engagement with the bead or collar 8l. Any further shifting of the lever 8| by the slidable rod 33 beyond its upright position will cause the weight o-f the upper ends of the lever to swing the lever to an inclination to the left of the position shown in Fig. 3, which in turn will cause a quick reversal of the position of the valve by joint action of the spring 43 and the weight. Also the weight of the lever will hold l5 the valve at either end of its stroke.

The flow of liquid through the meter is similar to that described in connection with Fig. 1 and is indicated by arrows in Fig. 3.

The hollow tubular members 24 illustrated in the three constructions serve the purpose of lightening the weight of the piston and by arranging one or more of these tubes in the upper portion of the piston, the tendency of the piston to turn about its axis will be greatly reduced.

25 By lightening the weight of the piston there will be less wear between the lower portion thereof and the cylinder I0.

By providing springs, which are mounted directly on the cylinder heads, the action of the pistons is made more positive, and there is less interference with the movement of the piston through the water than would be the case if the springs were mounted on the piston. By the use of counterbalancing springs 65 in the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the wear on the piston is reduced and also by avoiding any tendency of the piston to bind in the cylinder, a

more easy movement of the piston is assured together with greater accuracy in the measurement of the liquid.

I claim as my invention:

In a liquid meter, the combination of a cylinder having inlet and discharge openingsfor the liquid to be metered, a hollow piston arranged to reciprocate in said cylinder and having the interior thereof connected with one of said openings at all positions of said piston, a hollow valve in said piston connected with the other of said openings and slidable relatively to said piston, ports controlled by said valve for alternately connecting opposite ends of said cylinder with said openings, a slidable valve actuating rod slidably extending through and beyond the opposite ends of the piston, snap-action means connecting said rod and said valve, means for holding said piston against turning about its axis, springs mounted on said cylinder in position to be engaged by said rod at opposite ends of the stroke of said piston to shift said valve, and counterbalancing springs mounted on said cylinder to engage said piston at portions of said piston diametrically opposite from Said rod.

ROBERT S. BASSETT. 

